


Wik Ge. (Ve 





> 
Mi $2. 


Student Volunteer Series, No, ¥. 
THE 


SELF-PERPETUATION 


THE VOLUNTEER BAND 





BY 


J.°CAMPBELL WHITE. 


‘ ce 
Ot, i 
‘1 agen eee 
* “4 im 1. 
a Ce ie 


anaes een s Phas 
; +) aCe Niemen 
: te. Pe ae iy 
a wh ha pe wy fi } 
y 


2° aaa 


1 yy ade 
‘ 


PRL 





THE SELF-PERPETUATION 


THE VOLUNTEER BAND 


The self-perpetuation of the Volunteer 
Band: Isit necessary ? Is it possibleP 
Why is it desirable? How can it be 
realized ? These questions it is the pur- 
pose of this pamphlet to answer. 

I. Self-perpetuation is necessary.—The 
traveling secretaries of the Movement 
cannot visit institutions often enough to 
insure permanency of interest. Of the 
four hundred and fifty institutions in 
which there have been volunteers, they 
have never been able to reach more than 
one hundred and seventy in any one 
year. Even if they were able to visit 
each institution once every year, the 
problem would not be solved ; for con- 
tinuous effort is essential to abiding in- 
terest. Is it not then clear that if the 
Bands are perpetuated, they must be 
self-perpetuating ? 


4 


II. Self-perpetuation ts possible. — If 
the traveling secretary can secure volun- 
teers in a single visit, the students them- 
selves can do far more when they have 
unlimited time. Their opportunities 
for educating their fellow-students on 
the subject of missions are constant and 
abundant. Moreover, all experience 
proves that students are best reached by 
students. The experience of the past 
proves the power of the Bands to per- 
petuate themselves. Testimony might 
be given from many colleges showing 
that without any help from the outside, 
but merely by their own efforts, the 
Bands have been steadily growing from 
year to year. Of the fourteen hundred 
new volunteers of 1890-91, one hundred 
more were enrolled by the Bands than 
by the secretaries. Of twelve hundred 
in 1891-92, twice as many were enrolled 
by the Bands as by the secretaries. This 
tendency is most hopeful. 

Ill. Why ts the Self-perpetuation of the 
Band desirable ?—Numerous advantages 
come to the Band itself, to the new vol- 
unteer, and to the Volunteer Movement 


5 


where the principle of self-perpetuation 
is Operative. 

1. Advantages to the Band.—Two 
things are involved in self-perpetuation : 
the permanency of interest in the in- 
dividual volunteers and their securing 
of others to take their places when they 
leave. It is easier to study missions 
for the sake of interesting others than 
to deepen one’s own interest. This in- 
centive should be kept constantly before 
the minds of the volunteers. One i1m- 
portant result of such study however 
will be the greatly increased interest of 
those who engage init. And all of this 
study of missions, let it be remembered, 
is of great value in preparing for a life- 
work on the field. Nor is there anything 
which will drive a man to God in prayer 
and promote his spiritual life more than 
this definite, personal effort to lead his 
fellow-students into close, active sym- 
pathy with Christ in His mission to 
the world. 

2. Advantages to the new volunteer. — 
Maturer consideration, deeper convic- 
tion and firmer decision are possible in 


6 


the volunteer who reaches his decision 
as the result of the patient work of 
his fellow-students, than is often the 
case when he decides, without much 
previous consideration, under what 
might be called the special pressure of a 
visit from an outsider. Moreover, when 
one does reach a decision, it is of the 
utmost importance that he come at once 
into a warm, working, missionary 
atmosphere. His interest will then 
steadily increase. And if secured by 
a fellow-student, the new volunteer will 
be more inclined to try the same plan 
in winning others. 

3. Advantages to the Volunteer 
Movement.—If{ each Band will thus 
perpetuate itself, it will allow the trav-_ 
eling secretaries to enter many new in- 
stitutions; it will make their visits of 
immeasureably greater value when they 
do occur; it will allow more time for 
speaking to churches and enlisting their 
hearty co-operation ; it will be multiph- 
cation instead of addition. 


7 


IV. How can the Band ‘perpetuate 
ztself ? . 
1. By organization.—This need not 
be elaborate, and should not be too 
rigid. No constitution is necessary. It 
is well to have a leader and a correspond- 
ent. These officers correspond to the 
chairman and the secretary of commit- 
tees in charge of other forms of Christian 
efiort. They should be chosen by the 
Band before the close of each school 
year, to serve for one year. In colleges, 
the leader of the Band should be a mem- 
ber of the Missionary Committee of the 
Christian Association, and the Band it- 
self should be an integral part of the 
Association. Experience proves beyond 
all question that the Band is under the 
most favorable circumstances for self- 
perpetuation and multiplication, when 
allied to this permanent organization as 
an organic department. That some of - 
the volunteers may not have all of the 
work to do, and all of them may have 
something to do, and each may have the 


8 


particular thing to do for which he is 
best fitted, a careful subdivision of the 
work should be made. 

The following are the most important 
lines of work for the Bands to undertake, 
and where there are enough volunteers, 
a committee should be appointed by the 
leader to take charge of each of them. 

(1) The Band Meeting. The best 
thought of a strong committee should be 
given to making this meeting the most 
efficient possible. The committee might 
also give special attention to promoting 
missionary Bible Study, to securing the 
best missionary music, and to securing 
or preparing a missionary Calendar of 
Prayer to be used by the Band. 

(2) Securing and Circulating of Mis- 
sionary Literature. To the committee 
in charge of this department may also be 
assigned the duty of obtaining or making 
missionary maps and charts. 

(3) Organized Personal Effort. The 
committee appointed to this work should 
contain some of the most efficient workers 
in the Band. They should delegate per- 
sonal work to other volunteers, follow 


9 


up difficult cases, and above all set the 
example themselves of habitual personal 
work for new volunteers. In order to 
have this committee one of peculiarly 
strong workers, it may be necessary to 
appoint on it some persons who also 
serve on one of the other committees. 

(4) Correspondence with missionaries 
and absent volunteers and the collection 
of a missionary museum. 

(5) Work among young people’s or- 
ganizations and churches. 

If the Band is a large one, the work 
may be still further subdivided and the 
committees enlarged. Choice should be 
given to each one if possible as to the 
particular line of work he shall do. 

2. By Preparation.—By this is meant 
the personal preparation of each volun- 
teer for aggressive work. If the Band 
perpetuate itself, it is not enough that 
the volunteers be willing to work. They 
should also acquire special fitness for 
work. How can each volunteer obtain 
such preparation? Study, actual work 
and prayer are the best means to this 
end. The study should be of the Bible, 





IO 


with special reference to miss.uns and.of 
missionary literature, including the best 
books, current literature and tracts. The 
study of the lives of leading missionaries 
will be found of special value in this 
connection. There should also be a 
careful study of the common excuses 
made for lack of active interest in 
missions with reference to meeting and 
answering them when met in personal 
work. The results of all such study 
should be recorded in a systematic way. 
A suitable plan for this is suggested in 
the pamphlet on The Band Meeting. 
The meetings of the Band should be 
so arranged as to promote systematic 
and continuous study on the part of 
every volunteer. Skill also comes by 
doing. No amount of theory will suffice. 
Actual work in connection with study is 
the best preparation for future work. Of 
all the elements, however, in preparation, 
the most essentialis secret prayer. ‘‘Fall 
upon your knees and grow there.” 

3. By Education.—We have now, 
presumably, the necessary Band organ- 
ization, and personal preparation. What 


If 


next? Ina word, educate. It is no more 
true that people ‘‘do not know because 
they do not care,” than that ‘‘they do 
not care because they do not know.” 
‘‘Facts are the fuel with which mission- 
ary fervor is fired and fed.’’ It has been 
true in your case. It will be true also 
with those for whom you work. The 
possible methods cf education in most of 
ourcollegesare multiform. The monthly 
missionary meeting of the Association 
furnishes one splendid opportunity for 
impressing on allstudents the great facts 
of missions, and the greater truths of the 
Bible concerning missions. Let this 
meeting be made a mighty power in 
every institution. Too often it is mono- 
polized by the volunteers. This is a great 
mistake. They doubtless have an import- 
ant part to perform, but others are fre- 
quently interested in the subject for the 
first time by their study in preparation 
for taking some part in this meeting. 
The Missionary Committee should not 
fail to give those who are to take :mport- 
ant partin the meeting, adequate time 
for thorough preparation. In addition 


12 


tn this, they should always give them full 
and specific directions as to where to find 
materials on the topics suggested. This 
will save those taking part much time, 
and will also secure wider reading, and 
hence more thorough preparation. This 
is not the meeting for extemporizing. If 
it is uninteresting, it is in nearly every 
case due to the lack of sufficient pre- 
paration. 

The Band meeting also should be used 
as an educating factor. Not that it 
should be a large public meeting, but it 
should not be limited ordinarily to 
volunteers. Others may find here just 
what they need to deepen their mission- 
ary convictions. A general public in- 
vitation to this meeting seldom accom- 
plishes the desired result. The best 
plan is for volunteers to bring individu- 
als with them tothe meeting, or at least 
to give them a personal invitation to be 
present. 

A third and most important method of 
education is through missionary liter- 
ature. In most institutions, this feature 
is practically ignored. The problem is 


13 


rapidly changing from how secure, to 
how circulate this literature. The fol- 
lowing plans have been used effect- 
ively in different places, Call attention 
to books through the College paper. 
Recommend in the monthly Association 
meeting a few striking chapters in books 
and interesting articles in the mission- 
ary periodicals of that month. Putsuch 
a list on a public bulletin board every 
month. Loan your own books and per- 
iodicals to be read, calling attention to 
the strong features. Each volunteer 
should keep a supply of selected tracts 
to use in personal work and to enclose 
in letters. A social may be given by the 
Band, at which choice books are dis- 
played and brief comments made on 
each. Keep the missionary books in a 
very accessible and prominent place. 
Refer students appointed to prepare on 
certain topics to the most interesting 
available material. In short, get definite 
persons to read definite things which 
will be of real interest and profit to 
them. When once they have become 
omewhatinterested, let not your interest 


14 


in them lessen, but rather increase. 
Of course all of this implies that you 
are reading missionary literature your- 
self. This is. essential if you would stim- 
ulate study in others. 

The educating value of maps and 
charts is beginning to be realized. The 
eye should be appealed to as well as the 
ear. This will add greatly to one’s 
power to interest and influence others. 
A competent committee can, at very 
small cost, have some new chart or map 
in connection with the subject.presented 
in nearly every meeting. It would be 
well for each volunteer to make a map 
of the field to which he expects to go, and 
hang it up in his room. Among other 
advantages, he may use it as a text for 
many a missionary sermon to his visitors. 
If not a map, something else of a mis- 
sionary character may be hung up and 
used in this way. 

It is written of Christ, in Mat. g: 36, 
that ‘‘when He saw the multitudes”’ in 
their condition of distress ‘‘He was 
moved with compassion for them.” If 
it could but see as He sees, the 


15 


multitudes to-day who are in distress and 
spiritual famine, can there be. any doubt 
that the Church would be so ‘‘moved 
with compassion”’ that the present mis- 
sionary force would be at least doubled 
within the next twelve months? Our 
great privilege is to help Christians /o 
see. In every way then, let us educate. 

4. By Personal Work. —In his 
wonderful little book, ‘‘The Life of 
Christ’, Stalker says.:, .‘* Christ's: plan 
was to establish the Kingdom of God 
in the hearts of individuals and rely not 
on the weapons of political and material 
strength, but only on the power of love 
and the force of truth.”’ If the work of the 
volunteers in securing others is largely 
successful, it must be intensely practical 
and personal. Some of the volunteers 
have been used to lead one or two or ten 
or twenty, and in some cases more of 
their fellow students to the point of 
decision and thus have multiplied their 
lives many fold. But, in almost every 
case, this was done by quiet, zadividual 
appeals. Even at the Summer Schools, 
where so many men have volunteered, 


16 


while the very strongest public addresses 
on missions have been given, it has been 
a noticeable and notable fact that the 
number of new volunteers has been in 
proportion to the amount of personal 
work done on the grounds. When once 
the volunteers reach the foreign field, 
their opportunities for such work are cut 
off. But some of them are doing as 
much now for the evangelization of the 
world by interesting others and leading 
them to go, as they may ever be able to 
do by direct work on the field. 

Mr. Moody’s oft-quoted principle 
applies with peculiar force in this con- 
nection: ‘‘ Better set ten men at work 
than do ten men’s work.” Every volun- 
teer should be an earnest enlister of 
others. Where the Bands have been 
growing steadily stronger, this kind of 
work has been the most prominent factor 
in causing the increase. Where they 
have been growing weaker and smaller, 
personal work has been uniformly 
neglected. Results are often slow to 
appear, but the reaping always follows 
the sowing. In many cases the harvest 


17 


has appeared after many days. This is 
a work requiring patience, persistence 
and unwavering faith, but it is sure to 
be abundantly rewarded. 

5. By Supplication. — Prayer pre- 
pares the worker for his work, opens the 
way of approach, enforces the facts pre- 
sented, convinces the will as argument 
alone never can, ¢hrusts men forth. The 
evangelization of the world in this gen- 
eration hinges on this single essential 
condition, the prayers of Christians for 
the sending outof laborers. ‘‘ How little 
Christians really feel and mourn the 
need of laborers in the fields of the 
world so white to the harvest, and how 
little they believe that our labor-supply 
depends on prayer, that prayer will 
really provide ‘as many as He needeth.’ 
So wonderful is the surrender of His 
work into the hands of His Church, so 
dependent has the Lord made Himself 
on them as His body, through whom 
alone His work can be done, so real is 
the power which the Lord gives His 
people to exercise in heaven and earth, 
that the number of the laborers and the 


18 


measure of the harvest does actually de- 


pend on their prayer.” ‘Ask and ye 
shallreceive.’’ ‘‘According to your faith 
be it unto you.”  ‘‘If ye abide. in me 


and my words abide in you, ask whatso- 
ever ye will and it shall be done unto 
you.” ‘*The harvest is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few; pray ye therefore 
the Lord of the harvest, that He send 
forth laborers into His harvest.”’ 





STUDENT VOLUNTEER SERIES. ; 


1. History of the Student Volunteer Movement 
for Foreign Missions. John R. » Mott. 
Price, ten cents. 


29. Shall! Go? Thoughts for girls. Miss Grace 
E. Wilder. Price, five cents. 


8. Prayer and Missions. Robert E. Speer. 
Price, five cents. 


4, The Volunteer Band. Robert E. Speer. 
Price, five cents. 


5. The Self-Perpetuation of the Volunteer 
Band. J. Campbell White. Price, five cents. 


6. Ten Lessons on the Bible and Missions. 
J. Campbell White. Price five cents. 


7. The Volunteer Band Meeting. J. Campbell 
White. Price, five cents. 


8. The Bible and Missions. Robert P. Wilder. 
Price, five cents. 


In quantities of one dozen or more, No. 1 is sold 
at $1.00 per dozen; in quantities of fifty or more, 
at $7.00 per hundred. In same quantities, Nos. 2 
to 8 are sold at 50 cents per dozen, or $3.50 per 
hundred. 


Strident Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions 


80 INSTITUTE PLACE CHICAGO ILL. 


